I am only a quarter Irish, but St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. I had a great holiday weekend, in a small town known as the Irish capital of Nebraska. After a weekend of bad habits (unhealthy food – vegetarians don’t fare well in small towns, falling asleep in makeup, too much alcohol, not enough water, no formal workouts, etc.) I looked in the mirror and saw more imperfections emerging than I’d seen in months. So, what a great time to turn to a couple old faves and try out some some new skin products.

First, I washed my face with Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Acne Facewash. I have been pretty satisfied with this face wash. I love anything with scrubbing beads in it and I love anything that keeps acne at bay, so this is a good combo of both.

Next, and I was so looking forward to this, I did the Boscia Luminizing Black Mask. Love this mask. My pores feel so tight and clean after using it. The only suggestion I would make is be sure to apply it thickly in all spots because if you have any spots that are too thin they will be more difficult to peel. Some people prefer wash off masks but I am a superfan of this peel off version. I recently got a sample of the black moisturizer – I’m excited to try and you’ll hear about it when I do 🙂

On to the new products . . .not my first date with Philosophy, so I came in a little biased. So far I had not tried on a product that I didn’t like. This one didn’t disappoint either. I purchased the Dark Spot Correcting Kit because I find the older get, the slower my skin bounces back from blackheads, whiteheads, sunburns, etc. You pour the liquid over the pads, which is nice if they dry out it’s your own fault for not sealing the cap tight enough 🙂 The kit cost about $80 for 30 days worth. They suggest doing it every night, but I’ll probably go with once or twice a week to save money. You move the pad over your face and heads. It’s odd because it felt moisturizing and stimulating at the same time. It brought a fresh rosiness to my face, so I knew it was stimulating circulation. But the oil felt soft and soothing. Then you add the brightening cream which, and I don’t know why this was shocking to me, comes out tan. Obviously, you can’t evaluate the full result after one use, but I will continue using and give an update in a few weeks.

Finally, as a result of my CVS addiction, I got a new moisturizer, Nuance AM/PM Anti-Aging Super Cream. Nuance is Salma Hayek’s line, carried exclusively by CVS (as far as I know.) I had tried a conditioner in this line, and it was fine, but didn’t really wow me. The moisturizer I did really like though. It has a nice citrusy scent, and it was heavy enough for dry skin, but light enough for daytime. I could tell it had antiaging ingredients because I could feel a little bit of a lift after using it. It cost about $20, which at first I thought might not be worth it. But then I rethought how little it took it to cover my whole face, and therefore how long the jar will last.

So during the failed fake eyelash experiment, I introduced to my friend to two products I can’t seem to get enough of. When I put on each, she was like wow that feels weird!! But the proof is in the results.

I had heard such great things about the hydrating powder by Smashbox, but I was not ready to shell out $40-60 to find out their validity. So my search for an affordable option began. I believe I paid about $12 for the Revlon option I landed on. It feels very odd, like a light dusting of moisture, not quite like water, but definitely wet. Once you get past that, it’s amazing – a great finish to your look. It never feels cakey like many powders do, and it perfectly complements dry to very dry skin.

This was a see and want situation, and I just happened to be willing to splurge that day. This spray feels much like a misting fan. It drys quickly and sets your makeup for the night. I typically only use this when I go all out on the eye makeup, and it holds it from streaking and fading much better than any other option I have tried. It runs about $30, but given that I don’t use it every day and that it’s a great product, I’ve never regretted the investment.

Sometimes I build up a product so much in my head that when it doesn’t live up to my standards I am thoroughly disappointed. I had two scenarios exactly like this over the last week.

First up, Living Proof Restore Conditioner. I was SO excited to try this. This one built up a huge rep with me, and after trying it I thought, their marketing is genius!!! I remember seeing endorsements from Sephora and Ulta – and in hindsight I’m pretty sure they were purchased advertorials, not unbiased reviews. Anyhow, it worked ok, but I was really glad I just bought the trial set. The full size is almost 30 bucks a bottle. It smelled like some spice I couldn’t quite identify – paprika? red pepper? The whole time I was in the shower I was trying to figure it out. More importantly, it just didn’t have the magic I expected – it made my hair soft, but nothing miraculous like Pureology Hydrate.

Next was the PhotoReady Airbrush. Ok, this one I built up based on prior product knowledge. The concealer in this line is AWESOME. And I will FULLY admit I didn’t completely read the packaging. So imagine my surprise when I go to spray it on the sponges I bought specifically for airbrush makeup, and it spurts out product all over the side of the can. IT’S NOT A SPRAY!!!!! Keep reading. It’s airbrush MOUSSE. Major letdown. It smelled straight up funky too. On a positive note though, it did provide very nice coverage.

I just ordered my first Julep Maven Box! You all know I love nail polish, but what I love more is a good HOT DEAL. I got 2 colors and a lotion for $.01. Other bloggers are RAVING about these polishes-I am BOHO GLAM! $.01 is well worth it…AND FREE SHIPPING! Seriously, I checked my statement before I posted. Actually, $.01!

Ok, so there is a reason people make fun of the Jersey Shore gals. They are out of control, in more ways than one. Recently, however, my friend and I had been discussing whether or not you could take a little of the crazy and tone it down. We took it slow, starting with clip in extensions and fake eyelashes. The result . . . massive fail. You should have seen how hilarious it was poking each other’s eyes with tweezers trying to get them to stay on. Eventually we gave up, learning that false eyelashes take practice and patience.

On to the clip in extensions. I took issue with spending tons, so I got a set on eBay for around $30. They were actually great, blended well, stayed in nicely (once I figured out you have open and close the clips, not just stick them in.) However, my hair is currently just above shoulder length and even after I curled it all, it was still painfully obvious that my hair was not long enough to use the extensions. I ended up doing a side pony. I got lots of compliments, but I can’t wait to see how they look once my hair gets past shoulder length.

So overall, the conclusion is yes, you can find a medium ground between glam and gory with the “fake” products – it just takes some patience and a learning curve. Watch for future testing on “tan in a can” and press on eyeliner.